Advances in computer technology (e.g., microprocessor speed, memory capacity, data transfer bandwidth, software functionality, and the like) have generally contributed to increased computer application in various industries. Ever more powerful server systems, which are often configured as an array of servers, are commonly provided to service requests originating from external sources such as the World Wide Web, for example.
As the amount of available electronic data grows, it becomes more important to store such data in a manageable manner that facilitates user friendly and quick data searches and retrieval. Today, a common approach is to store electronic data in one or more databases. A typical database can be referred to as an organized collection of information with data structured such that a computer program can quickly search and select desired pieces of data, for example. Moreover, in such environments a federation refers to a group of organizations or service providers that have built trust among each other and enable sharing of user identity information amongst themselves.
In general, digital identity corresponds to the electronic information associated with an individual in a particular identity system. With the advent of distributed computing models such as web services, there are increased interdependencies among entities such as a Service Providers (SP's.) Accordingly, a current trend is to focus on inter-organization and inter-dependent management of identity information rather than identity management solutions for internal use. Such can be referred to as federated identity management. In general, federated identity is a distributed computing construct that recognizes that individuals move between corporate boundaries at an increasingly frequent rate. Practical applications of federated identities are represented by large multinational companies that are required to manage several heterogeneous systems at the same time. For example, such an effort can be represented by the notion of Single Sign-On (SSO), which enables a user to login to multiple organizations or SP's by using the same username and password.